Australia v South Africa, 1st Test, Perth, Dec 17-21

furriner wrote:PLAN D: FlogJKL.

I've already Banned you. no chance.

I'm staying up to watch this.

Who are my fellow poms routing for?

skully wrote:

Henry wrote:What was with kallis going ballistic in the last 15 minutes??? He tore Siddle apart after fending off Johnson and Lee bumpers for half an hour. Just goes to show how aggressively Kallis CAN bat when he wants to.

You've gotta think that Aus are still clear favourites.

It was just crap bowling by Siddle. Hopefully that leaked 30 runs won't be the difference.

A classic Test in the making.

I think all the runs the SA bowlers leaked when our tail was batting in both innings may end up the difference. Imagine had they been chasing 314.

Demelza wrote:I'm staying up to watch this.

Who are my fellow poms routing for?

England

No, you have to choose Aus or SA.

Cant. Do. it

Disappointing JKL.

Hingger-lunndd.

Only a matter of time now.

Kallis is looking a little troubled.

Nicely played 6 from him on 49 now.

If you want a true answer to your question, D, it's a boring one.

I don't feel any sort of emotional pull either way.

If I based my preference on anti-English feeling, taken as personally as it sometimes expressed (though generally with irony and wind-ups), I might start to prefer SAf - as no less mocking but a bit less viscerally hostile on some parts of this Forum at least.

And people do often base this type of "support" partly on such considerations - sport as an extension of their own safety and self-esteem in the world.

But personally, I think that is slightly bollocksy rather than ballsy. Jsut as you don't rise above violence by violence (or running like hell) , if everyone bases their reactions on matching irrationalism and resentment, petty baiting and historically biased subjective generalisations of "the enemy", the world as well as individual minds quickly swirl down the pan.

My own actual feeling is actually: May the best team win. In some ways it would certainly be better for world cricket if the Saffies win it (even though crowing Saffies are not generally beter than crowing Aussies, crowing Brits (when they get the chance) or indeed, crowing cocks on any dungheap).

But whoever wins this, and either series, I just hope they earn it. Not by fluke or bad calls.

I know that's not what you were asking for. You were asking for something more like "Who do you stick up for?"

The point is, neither side. ~ I hardly "stick up" even for England (reasons explained previously, and again in this post). I generally like it when England win. But it's not about hara-kiri or ner-ner, ner-ner-ner even then.

In short: May (the best of) cricket win.

The new ball might have a decisive say ...

Stuff all that Peter!

I want any team playing Australia to win. Except India.

QED!

Cracking Test!

(As Wallace might say)

So far it has followed the typical* SA Aussie script. See-saw game, SA looking to win it till near the end.

Then the collapse. We'll see.

*With very few exceptions.

Crocinfo doesn't even seem to know who's bowling ...

81.3 Siddle to Kallis, no run, defended on the back foot towards cover
81.2 Siddle to Kallis, no run, good length and wide outside off stump, left alone by the batsman
81.1 Siddle to Kallis, no run, Kallis jumps back and across to flick the ball off his pads towards Krejza at square leg
Can Johnson give Australia the wicket they now desperately need? He's bowling from over the wicket. One wicket and the match will swing back into balance.

need a wicket wicket wicket wicket wicket...

Look what you've done Peter, you've made them grovel:

Apologies for the confusion between Johnson and Siddle in the previous over.

furriner wrote:Look what you've done Peter, you've made them grovel:

Apologies for the confusion between Johnson and Siddle in the previous over.

That's only a grovel in a Tony Greig sense.

Run patterns suggest Midge is exerting control, Lee giving runs away.

Is that the way it's happening?

huzzah! finally a wicket! MJ gets Kallis

Kallis gaaawwwnnn